TRANSCRIPT
00:00:07:16 00:00:39:16
That’s recording. Okay, so what we thought we would do today is dig in and actually introduce people to some of the actual workforce. So we’re going to introduce you today. It’s just going to be about, like a 30 minute presentation. And we’ve got three short videos from three team members. We’ve picked three different job titles that are very popular, at the moment, in terms of what companies in Australia or in the United States are looking for.
00:00:39:17 00:01:03:16
So we have a software developer, we’ve got a paralegal person, and we have an accounts payable person. So we’re just going to let them talk to you directly via a video and just tell you about who they are and what it is they do. So let me just click here and have a little look at the next slide.
00:01:03:18 00:01:31:00
Okay. So all right, so I should have probably had this slide up while I was talking just before. So we’ve got an account and apparently in the software developer and, that’s it. So that’s Ivy. Ivy’s the, Ivy is not in it today, but she’s, She does like media content. Like data, database analysis type work.
00:01:31:00 00:01:58:14
So she works to, for a client, and what they do is, work with, databases to, accumulate more data. I think you’d call it a, a mental blank. Now, what you call that particular job, but scanning the internet and just grabbing data and putting it into databases. Anyway, so the rule is, I.
00:01:58:14 00:02:26:20
Please mute your microphone. Now the chat, there’s a chat function there. So if you want to ask any questions, just type it into the chat. And then what I’ll do is, come back and just answer all the questions. If you want to send a question that you don’t want anybody else to see, I think there’s a little button there that you can choose that if you can’t, then just, talk to a separately afterwards.
00:02:26:22 00:02:53:20
Any technical issues? Let us know. I’m hoping it’s all working fine. So we know we’ve got no recording or screenshots. What we are going to do is once this webinar is finished, we pack it all up and put it on the internet so that, on our website and then, so at any time in the future, if you wanted to come back and say anything again, you can and that’s it.
00:02:53:22 00:03:21:06
All right. So let me just click on the next button. So just quickly, who is Flat Planet? So we’re established in 2010. So it’s family owned. So it’s my wife and I who started the business back then. We moved up from Sydney expecting to be here for about a year, setting the business up. And, so 15 years later, we’re still here.
00:03:21:06 00:03:52:20
It’s been a great ride. And, the result is that we now live permanently up here in Manila in the Philippines, which is where I am right now. So what we’ve really focused on is building sustainable teams around professional workplace culture. So what we mean about what we mean by the word sustainable is, you know, stable, reliable, predictable, all those kind of words, so we’ve got some we’ve just focused on just providing really good service.
00:03:52:22 00:04:14:05
And as a result, we’ve got some really great brand names that work with us. So, you know, Surf Lifesaving Australia is obviously an organization that we’re incredibly proud to have as a client. And there’s a case study on our, on our web page that you can go in and hear from Surf Lifesaving Australia about what we do with them.
00:04:14:07 00:04:41:13
So and it’s all about, you know, a lot of people come to the Philippines just thinking about call centers, whereas we don’t do classic call centers. What we do, is we focus on stars that have, a particular, you know, high value skill such as, accounting or whatever it might be. And we’re going to so that’s what we’re gonna look at today.
00:04:41:15 00:05:04:10
So what is outsourcing? Well, really simply, it’s just the it’s just the idea is that, you work with a company like Flat Planet, and that way will, partner with you. And what we will do is, help you gain access to high value talent in the Philippines. And it’s a hell of a lot easier.
00:05:04:10 00:05:34:12
In fact, it’s the only really practical pathway of, of doing it. So why would you outsource? You’d outsource because you want to get access to talent. One of the things before I moved up here, I had a business in Sydney, and there were a lot of things that I wanted to do with the business that I couldn’t do because I couldn’t afford to hire that particular skill set.
00:05:34:14 00:06:02:20
And, or I wasn’t able to find that particular skill set. So one of the really great things that I’ve enjoyed about running a business up here is that it becomes affordable to actually do stuff with the business that you, that I was not able to do when I was in, when I was in Sydney. And so it just opens doors that were closed to me before.
00:06:02:22 00:06:27:15
So obviously it’s cost saving. I mean, that’s that’s huge. Not very significant. Once you get access to skills and qualified personnel, flexibility, productivity, you know, access to global talent. And, and there’s it’s simple. So flat plan. It makes it very, very simple and straightforward for you. So here we go. Here’s the first, here’s the first little speech.
00:06:27:15 00:06:51:12
So what I’m going to do is just hand over to Sam. So there’s three videos. Each one of these videos is timed to go for about four minutes. And it just gives you a sense, that’s our office in the background, by the way. But it just gives you a sense of, who these people are. You can hear their accents.
00:06:51:14 00:07:14:14
You can get a sense of their, you know, what motivates them and a little bit about their journey. So what I’ll do is I’ll just press the little play button and hopefully all the technology is going to work, and you will, be able to hear Sam directly. Hi, I’m Sam Oliver. I, I’m working as a software developer for Flat Planet.
00:07:14:16 00:07:46:17
For almost two years. Could you share your educational background and what inspired you to choose your current profession? I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. What inspires me is to solve complex issues and develop software that will be used by a majority of people. How long have you been working with international clients? I’ve been working with international clients for almost ten years, and I’m able to, work particularly with, Southeast Asian clients.
00:07:46:19 00:08:11:02
How do you keep your skills updated? What professional development activities you engage in? I do self-study. I also, study by online course. And I also work with, my teammates because I know that they have more skills than me so I can able to learn from them. Can you describe a challenging situation you faced with an international client and how did you resolve it?
00:08:11:04 00:08:35:23
The most common challenging situations that you face are when there’s a system downtime, especially during, operational hours of the client. So we resolve this by working with the with the infrastructure team, as some of the issues are usually due to the server. What cultural aspects make Filipino professionals stand out? Filipinos are very friendly, reachable and open minded.
00:08:36:00 00:08:49:21
What do you think valued the Filipino professionals from the international teams? Filipino brings a resilience, strong mindset and, able to work with the different nationalities.
00:08:49:22 00:09:17:13
How do you ensure quality and consistency in your work? I always clarify the the requirements and needs of the customers. I do the testing to ensure that everything works well and according to the agreed requirements, to ensure the quality of my output. How do you manage timezone differences with international brands? Due to my, years of experience with international clients, I was able to adapt to the different timezone.
00:09:17:15 00:09:44:00
That’s why I am able to work with them in a different timezone. Yeah. What was the use for remote collaboration? I use TeamViewer. Microsoft Teams and also Google Meet. Okay. How do you approach testing and quality assurance? Our testing has at different stages. First one is we do systems integration testing and functional testing. The next one is user acceptance testing.
00:09:44:06 00:10:06:12
This testing involves, working with the client to ensure that they will be able to check if the agreed requirement requirements is being met. The last test is we do a test before the production deployment to ensure that all the code are working correctly. What’s your primary next step in programing languages? The tech stack I’m using is C-sharp under that.
00:10:06:12 00:10:33:11
Net platform. This is used for developing, back end web applications. And then I use a Microsoft SQL server for relational database management. How do you handle version control and documentation for version control? We primarily use team foundations that are able to manage the code and also do, code rollback in case of, any changes for code documentation.
00:10:33:12 00:11:01:06
We just use SharePoint and also Microsoft OneNote. What project management methodology have you worked with? I work with agile methodology. Specifically sprint. How could you approach testing and quality assurance? For testing, we have a different stages. First one is how we do in test. We do test internally by, system integration testing and functional testing.
00:11:01:08 00:11:28:06
After we pass that this testing stage, then we go with the user acceptance testing. You wish more companies you about Filipino professionals are Filipino professionals are resourceful resilient resilience. And they are able to adapt in a different or a fast paced environment which makes them more valuable, for, working internationally.
00:11:28:08 00:11:47:13
What’s the most rewarding aspect of working with international clients? Working with international clients? It makes me learn a lot because they have a different mindset, different set. Some are better than me. And I was also able to, grow not just in terms of career, but, personally.
00:11:47:15 00:12:12:13
For, so that’s same, look, I mean, that’s his he’s really great, obviously. Right. And he’s just, you can see that he’s very, very matter of fact. And so some of these answers are really, really just straight to the point, just short. Not a lot of not a lot of color. And he’s deeply technical and he’s very, very focused and he’s very committed and he’s just great.
00:12:12:15 00:12:32:16
So so that’s the kind of person he works for one of that. So that’s the kind of person that, we’re working with and that you can get in the Philippines. So if you’re looking for a software developer, someone like Sam would be great. I highlight here we are. So this is Martic or Maria Victoria. So everyone calls her Maverick.
00:12:32:18 00:13:04:09
And, I’ll press a little go button and she’s a paralegal. I’m Maria Victoria Santiago, a legal and compliance officer in Flat Planet Philippines. Could you share your educational background and what inspired you to choose your in profession? I finished my undergraduate degree in communication, followed by my postgraduate degree in law. What inspired me to, to take up, my my degree in communication and law.
00:13:04:11 00:13:35:05
Our first, mass communication gave me a background on how effective communication can change the world there. I thereafter, applied it with my law degree, which, which inspired me to use my communication skills in, in protecting, the life, liberty and property of every Filipino and even every individual across the globe. Oh, long have you been working with international guidance?
00:13:35:07 00:14:14:19
I’m already working with our international clients for the past five months. Which areas of law do you specialize in? The areas of law that they specialize in are, corporate law, taxation and labor law. How do you conduct legal research across different jurisdictions? By first, of course, doing, research through there. Government, website. I make sure that that that I am familiar with their latest regulatory compliance and, legal documents that they need.
00:14:14:21 00:14:46:19
And I also make sure that I consult, our council for, for their inputs regarding, my research. How do you handle confidential information? By making sure that, all of the documents that you submitted with us are, are secured through, software with passwords. We’re in only, paralegal and third counsel can access it. What’s your experience with contract review and management?
00:14:46:21 00:15:14:17
We make sure that, all of the clauses included in the contract are, are aligned with, international laws and as well as their domestic laws, so that, that so that when the, when the agreement is executed, it will be aligned with the existing laws. What’s the most rewarding aspect of working with international work? With with a diverse team.
00:15:14:19 00:15:39:08
You will learn the culture of your client as well as their as well as their laws and regulations in that, specific country. And you also, learn from your, from your teammates. How can you describe a challenging situation you faced with an international client and how did you resolve it? I face a challenging situation with our client when they gave us a requirement, which we are not.
00:15:39:10 00:16:14:00
We are not familiar with, to resolve a conflicting, a conflicting problem with our client is, of course, communication. How do you bridge cultural differences with international clients? Filipinos are known for warmth and hospitable, Filipinos, bridge gap through their all through their international teams and clients, through their hospitality, through making sure that every client and every international members is heard.
00:16:14:02 00:16:41:13
And of course, by being warm to each other. I’m. Filipinos are known for being friendly, so they will make sure that, that they stay in touch with their client as well as for their international team members. What advice would you give to companies considering Filipino that you must consider Filipino talent because of their value of resilience, resourcefulness, and professional resume?
00:16:41:15 00:17:19:06
First is the value for their value of resilience, because they will always make sure that every problem will be solved in your organization. Next is the value of resourcefulness, because they will make sure that they will source every solution for your problem. And third, and lastly, of course, the value of professionalism, because, they will always make sure that they will, face any challenges through, professionally, sourcing out, through all the remedies that you need.
00:17:19:07 00:17:49:12
All right. So that’s wonderful. So that’s my Vic. And, so she’s obviously, the lot, and just a really good like, you can see how it would be really good to have someone like that on your team. I don’t know if anyone here needs anyone who’s a paralegal, and you can’t have it because Maverick’s already with somebody else, but she’s a really good example of, a really good example of of what’s available.
00:17:49:14 00:18:18:21
What’s trying to think in Australian dollars? Maverick would cost, I’m guessing around sort of three and a half, three and a half, 3600, something like that. $1,000, a month would be the all in cost for somebody with that type of skill set. So now, last but not least with I’m. Are you to press that button?
00:18:19:02 00:18:37:00
So I’m going to have a go at chief, cutting the video. It’s a bit of an unfortunate starting position there for Sherry, but anyway, Sherry is, accounts payable, and let’s have a let’s have a listen to Sherry.
00:18:37:02 00:19:02:10
Hi, I’m Sharon dang. I work as the senior accounts payable officer at Flat Planet for two years. Could you share your educational background and how long have you been working with international brands? I graduated with a degree in business administration, major in financial management, and I’ve been working with international clients for a little over three years.
00:19:02:12 00:19:31:00
What’s the most rewarding aspect of working with international practice? Working with international clients gave me a glimpse of how people work differently, how they approach work differently. And it has, made me learn a lot. What do you wish more companies knew about Filipino professionals? Filipino talent has a lot to offer. We are hard working. We are resilient and we thrive on different working environments.
00:19:31:00 00:19:36:09
Whatever us.
00:19:36:11 00:20:06:07
How do you manage times of differences with international clients? My computer and my desk clock is based on my client’s timezone, so? So we both are in sync. What volume of invoices do you typically process monthly? I’m a range of a thousand in a month. Which AP automation tools? Any RPA systems are you proficient in? I’m more proficient in Microsoft Excel and SAP.
00:20:06:09 00:20:36:20
How do you ensure accuracy and invoice processing and payment execution? We use a tool which is OCR and we always, double check the information before endorsing it for payment. What’s your process for vendor state vendor continuity client. All statements received must be reconciled and sent out to the supplier or subcontractor during the first week of the month.
00:20:36:22 00:21:02:04
How are the average cultural differences with international clients? At work, I always confirm with my client if I understood the instructions correctly, and then I always double check if my work output is the same with what they expect. Then. How do you maintain strong relationships with remote teams? In our team, we always have an open, communication.
00:21:02:04 00:21:35:17
We always, are just a chat away or just going away. So what tools they use for remote collaboration? We use Microsoft Teams and Remote Desktop. What value do Filipino professionals bring to international teams? I believe Filipinos can quickly adapt to, different cultures, different people, different environment. So yeah, we can quickly do things on the go. What advantages have clients found in working with you?
00:21:35:19 00:21:59:21
Having already worked for over a decade, I already have the, leverage of, extensive working knowledge and skills on the job. So I would say there’s not a lot of a long learning curve. Can you describe the challenging situation you faced in that international client, and how did you resolve, having worked for the retail industry for over a decade?
00:21:59:23 00:22:23:14
Shifting through another industry has its challenges, but I was able to overcome it by, talking to my colleagues, looking for support, especially with my client who was able to teach me the ins and outs of the industry. And I was able to, research by myself as well on how the industry works. What advantages of clients found in working with you?
00:22:23:16 00:22:51:24
My leverage is that I have an extensive work knowledge prior to joining Flat Planet. So I already have the, strong foundation of work skills and knowledge. Alright, so that’s Cherie. And obviously just really great, really competent, really good person. So that’s, So that’s her. So you’ve seen, an accounts payable, a paralegal and, software developer.
00:22:52:01 00:23:19:23 I’m really interested. They all mentioned the word resilience in their, you know, they say, why would you work? And I talk about resilience, and that’s absolutely true. One of the things that I don’t know if anyone’s ever visited the Philippines and visited Manila, that it is a place that requires great resilience. And, it’s certainly something that,
00:23:20:00 00:23:52:12
That that, Filipinos who are actively engaged in the economic progress of the country, very proud of. So it’s just click past. So, the business impact, Filipino talent. So just quickly, it’s, So, so we, the flat planet operates from sort of, 6 a.m. Auckland Monday morning until, 6 p.m. West coast, us Friday afternoon.
00:23:52:12 00:24:18:13
So that’s about six days. So so we’re going from very, very early hour time about 2 a.m. or something Monday morning until late late Saturday afternoon, early Saturday evening. And it just goes 24 hours through that time. And then there’s people who work for all different for Australia, for the UK, for the US, for New Zealand, to Singapore and so on.
00:24:18:15 00:24:52:19
And all the different people just come and go through the day as their, as they are required by whatever time zone they work in. So cost efficiency. Yeah. I mean the, the savings are very significant. We think that for most jobs, whether it’s a lower paid job or a higher paid job, it works out to somewhere like around 60, 65% is what you’re going to be saving in terms of the total cost of employment, which is a lot of money, which is 60% is a lot of money.
00:24:52:21 00:25:15:11
And then, obviously we’ve reduced onboarding time because we know what we’re doing. You can hear the language, so you can hear their accent and how they speak and how they use English. So I, you know, I’m fairly certain that you would be thinking that that was fine. I’ve lived in the Philippines for 15 years, so to me, the way they’re speaking just sounds completely normal.
00:25:15:13 00:25:38:21
I know that if you are from somewhere where you don’t hear Filipino accent the whole time, that it might sound a bit different. But that’s what it is. So you can hear it there now. And, you know, totally adaptable. So there is a different culture, obviously, between the Philippines and, say, Australia, but they’re very open and very amenable to, working.
00:25:38:21 00:26:15:05
And they enjoy the opportunity of working with foreign companies. So that’s it. So thank you very much. I’m just going to, I’m just going to have a look here and see where I need to go to see if anyone has any questions. So does anyone have any questions?
00:26:15:07 00:26:45:04
Not. The thing is, I’m hoping that the system is working properly. So on the right hand side of the box, there’s a, there’s a button that you press and it, it’s called chat on the zoom, toolbar. And if you click on that, it should be able to go in and just type of question.
00:26:45:06 00:27:03:24
Okay. So that’s it. So thank you very much. And I really appreciate your time. That’s 30 minutes. That’s perfect. So, thank you very much. And we’ll, we’ll be in touch and leave. We look forward to talking to you soon. All right. Thank you very much. Cheers.
